Egypt’s Interior Minister, Mahmoud Tawfik, held a meeting with security chiefs on Sunday to review the ministry’s plan to secure New Year’s Eve and Christmas celebrations, the ministry said in a Sunday statement.

During the meeting, Tawfik asserted the ministry’s keenness to maintain the country’s security and stability, emphasising that terrorist attempts will never weaken the determination of security forces, the statement added.

Tawfik hailed the security efforts exerted through the past period, asserting that the ministry should keep up the good work.

He stressed the significance of launching pre-emptive operations against militants and targeting their hideouts to prevent them from attacking the public facilities and citizens.

The minister concluded the meeting by asserting his trust in police personnel and their ability to implement the ministry’s plan in securing the celebrations.

A day after the attack which targeted a tourist bus carrying Vietnamese nationals near the Pyramids of Giza which killed four people, the ministry declared that it killed 40 suspected militants in separate raids in Giza and North Sinai governorates.

The ministry said that the alleged militants “were planning to carry out aggression against the state, Christians, and tourists.”

Earlier this month, the interior ministry announced that it is on high alert in all governorates in preparation for the New Year’s Eve and Christmas celebrations. The ministry asserted that it intensified its security presence at the vital facilities in order to ensure a safe environment for celebrations.

According to the ministry’s statement, the security plan includes deploying security patrols and special forces at all vital and significant areas and cities, particularly worshipping houses.